By-The-Bywater: A Podcast about All Things J.R.R. Tolkien 81. Maybe They’re Too Peasant Or Whatever
Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Jared’s choice of topic: the journey. Both The Hobbit and more specifically and thoroughly The Lord of the Rings, referencing quite well established tropes about quests and more, are centered around months-long journeys by many characters, through a physical landscape as much as a mental and emotional one in turn. But there’s been some random responses in recent years from newer readers encountering Tolkien’s work that find that maybe those journeys are a little too long as if they’re getting in the way of the story. Needless to say, we don’t agree at all – and we’re sick to death of the ‘why don’t the Eagles fly them everywhere’ question – but it’s worth delving into why the idea of the journey is such a compelling as well as common one in fantasy thanks in large part to Tolkien, and what may have changed in turn since. What role do journeys have in the realm of human folklore, and what might they represent for people and cultures, whether wandering or sedentary? How has technological advances in transportation in the past two centuries made the sense of what a journey is change in the wider imagination, and how does that affect what people might see when they think of what a long journey is supposed to be like? How has fantasy itself evolved from a post-Tolkien time to a more varied and potentially surprising way around whether journeys are necessary in recent novels and stories? And were you at all thinking of a certain band by this point? (Honestly, we weren’t. Well we suppose Jared was.)
Show Notes.
Jared’s doodle. You might recognize those silhouettes…
Zohran Mamdani! Katie Wilson! Then there’s that whole thing with Daniel Lurie and the one-week city councilwoman. Read this for more on all that.
The Bovadium Fragments – it’s out there!
Adam Serwer’s “Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons and Dragons To Be Racist” and John Semley’s “Elon Musk Really Doesn’t Get The Lord Of The Rings.” (Again, our episode on Silicon Valley.)
Elijah Wood crashes a hobbit wedding.
We all know what journeys are. But Merriam-Webster is there for you too.
We have already talked about the eagles. We’re not going there again.
The Persian Empire didn’t actually call it their Pony Express of course – so let us introduce you to the Chapar Khaneh.
Oriana’s 2018 piece “I Went To All 50 States To Find America’s Heart.”
Mapquest! And Thomas Bros aka the Thomas Guide too.
Gilgamesh sure did wander around some.
Shane’s impact is arguably still playing out.
The Pilgrim’s Progress is rather notable, to say the least.
Our episode on allegory and applicability.
The Argonautica, it’s one of the big ones!
Our Sword of Shannara episode – and yay the Tough Guide to Fantasyland!
Watership Down, still great.
Critical Role – it’s very well known!
It’s true that you might have heard us talk about The West Passage.
The Tombs of Atuan, heck yeah.
Rakesfall – check it out!
That “someday love will find you” reference. And yes…it’s incredibly cheesy.
The Glee “Don’t Stop Believing.” The Sopranos “Don’t Stop Believing.” Etc. Support By-The-Bywater (and our network) on Patreon, and you can hang out with us in a friendly Discord.